Alfred Jones vs The World
by condesce
Summary: Alfred really wants to date Arthur, but what happens when he has to defeat his seven evil ex-boyfriends? / AU USUK; inspired by Scott Pilgrim.
1. Meeting

When Alfred saw Arthur, he knew he was the one.

He had this feeling in his chest, and this feeling was never wrong. He always trusted his heroic instincts and seeing Arthur made that feeling stronger than ever.

Of course, he didn't know Arthur's name then. He was just a guy in the library; a very cute guy in the library, might I add.

Alfred's book (which had a comic hidden in front of it) was slowly being lowered as his eyes never left the other blond that sat across the room. Alfred's friend, Toris, blinked at the American's behaviour and waved a hand in front of his face.

"Alfred! Hey..."

Alfred blinked, "Huh...?"

"Who are you staring at?"

"That guy... who is he?"

Toris looked ahead and saw the other blond. His eyebrows rose slightly and he replied, "That's Arthur Kirkland. He's from England."

"England?" Could this guy get any better?

"Yes. He moved here a week ago."

Before Toris could do anything to stop him, Alfred was on his feet and he walked over to the man he was currently fantasising over and took a seat in front of him.

Arthur slowly looked up from his book and a large eyebrow was raised in a questioning manner. Alfred's cheeks turned a slight pink and he gave Arthur a goofy smile.

"Hi..."

"Um, hello..." Arthur replied and was still curious as to who this random person was and why he was talking to him.

"Hi... um..." _Think of something to say! Quickly! Oh god... _"Do you like superheroes?" _...Okay, what the hell?_

"Um... no," Arthur said and slowly placed his book down. Alfred's cheeks turned a deeper colour and he let out a shaky breath.

"Okay, this is going to sound kinda weird seeing as I've only know you five minutes but... ?"

Arthur blinked then shook his head, "Sorry, what? I didn't catch that..."

"W-would you like to go out with me sometime?" Alfred asked a little slower, still blushing and his palms were sweating. He nervously wiped them on his jeans and he glanced up at the Englishman. He looked up to see Arthur smirking a little, and he blushed even deeper (if that was possible).

"As in... a date?" he asked. Alfred squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. Arthur paused then asked, "And what makes you think I'm gay?"

Alfred let out a tiny squeak, "I-I-I... I-I, uh... um... I'm sorry, I j-just assumed... please don't hate me!"

Arthur laughed. He actually laughed at the stuttering and blushing mess that was Alfred F. Jones and he leaned back against his chair and his green eyes watched him with interest.

"You must be very good and seeking out those who are gay," he said in an amused tone. Alfred blinked and tilted his head.

"Um... so you are?"

"Yes," Arthur smiled, "What's your name?"

"Alfred Jones..."

"Well, Alfred... you're very annoying, but... yes I'll go out with you."

"Really?" Alfred asked in complete shock. From across the room Toris was watching with wide eyes. He'd expected Alfred to get shot down there and then.

"Yes, really. There is a park ten minutes from here correct?"

"Yeah... yeah there is!" Alfred smiled, now feeling slightly calmer.

"Excellent. I shall meet you there tonight at say... seven?"

"Yes!" Alfred said a little too excitedly and he jumped up, "Awesome! I can't wait!"

Arthur stood up and collected his books, "Great, I'll see you then," he nodded at him and went to check out his books. Alfred watched him with a dazed expression and let out a small sigh of contentment. When Toris realised that Alfred wasn't going to move, he stood up and went to him himself.

"He said yes," Alfred smiled stupidly, still watching the door of which Arthur disappeared out of.

"I'm surprised..." Toris said lightly, and he stood up dragging Alfred with him, "You should go home. You have a date tonight."

Alfred seemed to zone back into reality and his eyes widened, "Oh god... what do I wear?" he declared with a panicked expression.

"Where are you taking him?" Toris asked and this just made Alfred panic even more.

"I don't know! Oh god, Toris! Help!"

"Calm down. Just go casual."

"Casual... yeah, that'll work... I don't wanna be too fancy!"

"Exactly. Listen, I have to go... you'll be all right won't you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll get Mattie to help me!"

"All right..."

They walked out the library together and Toris turned right and Alfred turned left. The American walked down the street with a bright smile and his hands in his pockets. This day had been a very good day and it could only get better.

He arrived home where Matthew was reading. The younger brother looked up at the American and smiled slightly, "Where have you been?"

"With Toris. Guess what, Mattie! Guess!"

"Um, I don't know..."

"I got a date! Isn't that awesome? I got a date tonight!"

Matthew looked surprised for a split second then he smiled warmly, "That's great, Al. Is it anyone I know?"

"I dunno! His name's Arthur and he's from England!" Alfred said excitedly. He ran upstairs and was still talking to Matthew as he walked into his bedroom, "I met him in the library this afternoon!"

"Why were you in the library?"

"Toris wanted to go there! I read comics though! Don't tell him!" Alfred laughed loudly and Matthew heard the bathroom door shut. Alfred took a quick shower and when he was deciding what to wear, he looked at his many shirts and his face contorted with concentration. He eventually picked a Superman shirt; put some clean jeans on and his black Converse shoes. He ran down the stairs again and stood in front of his brother, "How do I look?" he asked with a worried expression.

"Fine, Alfred... just fine," Matthew smiled.

"Great!"

Before he knew it, seven o'clock had come by and Alfred ran out of their house. He shoved his hands in his pocket and inhaled deeply as he tried to calm himself down. It was just a date. It wasn't as though he hadn't been on a date before.

(It was just that he really really really really really liked Arthur and he didn't want to screw it up!)

He arrived at the park five minutes after seven and he spotted Arthur sitting on one of the swings. Alfred smiled; Arthur was still as gorgeous as he'd remembered. He jogged closer and smiled brightly, "Hey!"

Arthur looked up, and smiled in return, "Hi..." he stood up and met him at the gate. He exited the park and the two of them walked down the path and into the town once again.

"I was thinking maybe we could go for dinner or something..." Alfred suggested. Arthur seemed to like this idea, but he eyed Alfred's shirt.

Alfred noticed him looking and he laughed, "I wasn't sure what to wear so this was the best I could do. Besides, we won't go anywhere too fancy."

Arthur nodded and smiled a little, "I suppose not."

"...Unless you want to?" Alfred asked worriedly. Arthur quickly shook his head.

"No... no, I think somewhere casual would be just fine."

The two arrived at a restaurant a few moments later. It was a casual restaurant in the middle of town. It served good food and it wasn't too expensive, so it was popular with the younger generation. They were seated and the two looked through the menu.

"So... what made you move up here?" Alfred asked him. He looked over his menu at him and waited for his answer.

"I decided I needed a change of scenery," he stated and looked at him as well, "I love England, I really do, but I needed to get away for a while."

"So you came here?"

"So I came here," he smiled.

Alfred grinned and looked down at the menu again.

"So, are you local?" Arthur asked and Alfred nodded.

"Yup! I've lived here all my life, so if you need a tour I'm totally the best guy!" he grinned, and he looked over at the waiter who had arrived at their table.

They ordered, and Alfred couldn't help but feel that the waiter didn't like him. He had tanned skin and his voice was accented, probably Spanish... Mexican... whatever... he didn't know if he was being paranoid, but was that guy sending him negative vibes?

Alfred tried to push the thoughts to one side, but the waiter kept glaring at him from across the room. Arthur looked uncomfortable too, and when they finally left Alfred looked over at his date and asked, "Arthur, that guy—"

"There's something you should know..."

Alfred blinked and Arthur played with his hands nervously. He looked up at Alfred, "This is going to sound absurd..."

"Go on," Alfred encouraged with a smile.

"Well... you like me, correct?"

"Well, yeah... I like you a lot..."

Arthur nodded, "And you want to date me, yes?"

"Um... I'd like to..." Alfred blushed.

"In order to do that..." he cleared his throat and glanced away, "You... you have to defeat my seven evil ex-boyfriends..."

"I-I... what?" Alfred's eyes widened. He had to do what now?

"You have to defeat my seven evil ex-boyfriends... and that waiter is one of them."

* * *

><p>AN: Yes, this will be USUK, but multiple UK pairings will be mentioned and perhaps hinted. This was only done for fun so I don't know how often I'll update, however it was amusing to write so we'll just have to see.

This was inspired by Scott Pilgrim and before you lot ask, only the seven evil exes idea shall be used. This won't follow the actual Scott Pilgrim storyline. I'm too lazy for that xDD

I own nothing!

So yeah, I think that's it.

~Iggy :)


	2. Evil Ex Number One

"S-so, that waiter... you dated him?" Alfred asked disbelieving. He really couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had to defeat... as in fight Arthur's apparently evil ex-boyfriends.

"That's right!" a voice sneered from behind them. Both Arthur and Alfred turned around quickly to face the Spanish waiter.

"I... I'm so confused!" Alfred clutched his head and the waiter rolled his eyes. He walked a little closer and stood in front of them.

"My name is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo!" he stated with a smirk, "And I am evil ex-boyfriend number one!" He looked at the two blonds, "Hi Arthur."

"Hi Antonio."

Alfred watched the casual exchange between the two and blinked, "So... how do you two know each other."

Antonio looked at Arthur for an explanation and the British man sighed lightly, "We met on my holiday to Spain—"

"So you're not Mexican?"

Antonio scowled, "No! Stupid..."

"Oh..."

Arthur sighed again and continued, "And it was only a few nights... we broke up when I went home."

"Si," Antonio stated and looked over at Arthur, who turned his gaze down to the ground, "And I, along with the other six evil ex's, will challenge you, and you will have to defeat us!"

"How am I supposed to do that?" Alfred demanded and Antonio shrugged.

"I don't know improvise!" he stated and before Alfred had chance to react, Antonio had ran forward and kicked him in the chest. Stunned, Alfred flew a few feet in the air before landing hard on his back. Temporarily winded, it took the American a second to react. Antonio looked pleased and crossed his arms.

"That was too easy. Really, Arthur... you want to date _him_?"

Arthur kept his gaze down and he nodded lightly. Alfred slowly picked himself off the floor and coughed a little. He glared. Who was this guy? What gave him the right to do this? How on earth was he supposed to 'defeat' him?

Alfred wasn't going to give up though. This was his chance to be a hero! If he defeated these evil ex-boyfriends, then he would have chance with Arthur. Arthur even admitted he wanted he wanted to date him. Alfred would prove to him that he was worthy of dating him and he would be Arthur's hero!

He growled under his breath, and while Antonio was distracted he ran forward and clenched his hand into a fist. He pulled the fist back and punched Antonio as hard as he could. Alfred knew he was strong; he went to the gym as often as he could to attempt to get rid of the 'fat' that plagued his body, but he didn't expect Antonio to fly into the wall opposite them. He blinked and looked down at his fist as though he was wondering how this could have happened.

Arthur was watching with wide eyes, also not believing what was going on. Sometimes, he wondered why this even happened to him.

Antonio rubbed his head and looked over at Alfred, who was still confused. The Spaniard smirked a little, "Well... I guess I underestimated you..."

He stood up and recovered for a moment, then ran forward again. This time Alfred was ready for him. Antonio clenched his hand into a fist and brought it forward, and aimed at Alfred's face but the American dodged it quickly. Antonio growled in frustration and tried to punch him again. Alfred smiled and continued to dodge all of his attacks. Antonio grew more and more frustrated and he started to attack with kicks as well as punches. Alfred dodged them all.

Arthur could only watch in surprise. He didn't have a clue how Alfred learnt how to do that. Maybe he was taught self-defence, or maybe it was just impulse. He would have to ask later.

Alfred grew bored of dodging the attacks and when Antonio attacked with another punch, the American grabbed hold of his wrist tightly to stop him. Antonio's eyes widened and he tried to tug his wrist out of Alfred's grip, but he wouldn't relent.

"Let go! That's cheating!" Antonio whined and pulled at his wrist again. Alfred kept a good grip on it. He twisted Antonio's arm behind his back, which rendered the Spaniard unable to attack. He could attack, but Alfred could easily break his arm in this position so he didn't risk it.

"Who's next?" Alfred asked, and Antonio shook his head, "I don't know... it could be any one of them!"

Alfred figured this was the case and he said, "You leave Artie and me alone, all right!"

"Si! Si! You win!" Antonio struggled a little, but Alfred tightened his grip which caused him to wince.

"Promise?"

"Si, I promise."

Alfred paused for a moment then let go of Antonio. He turned him around to face him and he punched him as hard as he could. Antonio reacted too late as the American's fist made contact with his cheek. His world went black and he lost consciousness. Alfred picked him up and set him down on a near by bench and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He may be an 'evil ex-boyfriend' but he didn't want to leave him lying vulnerable in the streets. He turned to Arthur and grinned at him.

"Does this mean I've defeated him?"

"He gave up... and you have knocked him out so I'm guessing that's a yes," Arthur replied. He looked a little uncomfortable.

Alfred left Antonio on the bench and walked to his date. He took his hands and gave them a small squeeze, "I don't know what's going on, and I dunno if I'll understand it if you tell me... but if I have to fight your ex-boyfriends in order to date you then that's what I'm gunna do..."

"You... you would do that? You could- you _will_ get hurt..." he said and removed one of his hands from Alfred's and brushed it against his cheek lightly.

Alfred smiled stupidly and leaned into the touch, "I don't mind..."

"You're an idiot, Alfred... a stupid idiot..."

Alfred grinned, "Hey Artie, we still have a date to finish..."

Arthur scowled at the nickname but linked his arm with Alfred's nonetheless. Alfred blushed and led Arthur away from the scene before Antonio woke up.

They walked through the town talking about anything. Arthur seemed to want to forget about what had just happened, and Alfred seemed just as eager. They walked to the park again and Alfred smiled. They both took a seat on the swings and Arthur looked over at him.

"Are you sure you want to-"

"Don't ask me," Alfred smiled, "I've made my decision. I'm the hero!"

"A hero? Really?" Arthur asked with an amused expression.

Alfred nodded, "Mmhm, it's my job to be a hero! I'm gunna defeat these ex-boyfriends Artie, you'll see!"

Arthur blushed deeply and looked down. The next thing he knew he was being made to look up and his green eyes met bright sapphires. Alfred smiled.

"I'm going to be your hero."

* * *

><p>AN: Fluff. Lots of it. As usual. You should expect that from me by now 8D

Well, evil ex-boyfriend number one... Antonio~ though it was kinda obvious.

I will make it less obvious next time 8D

Next chapter: evil ex-boyfriend number two! Who will it be?

~Iggy :)


	3. Evil Ex Number Two

That night when Alfred finally arrived home, he couldn't stop thinking about him.

He lay in bed with a goofy smile plastered to his face and his heart fluttered whenever he thought of Arthur. Just seeing his face in his minds eye was enough to make the American smile to himself and cause a light blush to spread over his cheeks.

Alfred couldn't sleep that night. He was meeting Arthur the next day for coffee (or tea, which ever he preferred) and he just wanted to time to pass quickly. Never in his life had he been so excited to see someone, and he'd only known that certain someone for at least two days.

He knew Arthur was definitely the one for him. There was just a nagging question at the back of his mind that asked: was he the one for Alfred?

It was clear that Arthur enjoyed his company. He smiled softly when ever Alfred told him a crazy story, his grip on his hand was always firm, and Alfred could tell he liked him by the way he looked at him; there was something in his eyes that gave that away.

Rolling over, Alfred closed his eyes tight and tried to force himself to sleep, but every time he tried he was confronted by the faceless blobs that were Arthur's 'evil' ex-boyfriends. He was worried that one of them would appear tomorrow and ruin their second date.

Alfred rolled on to his front again and sighed. He defeated one ex, so why couldn't he defeat the others? He was the hero, and he promised to save Arthur from this. He intended to keep this promise. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind. Perhaps the incident with Antonio was just pure coincidence. Yes, he was an ex, but maybe he just got jealous and picked a fight with Arthur's new interest.

Alfred tried to convince himself of this, and he rolled over again to let sleep finally claim him.

Alfred met up with Arthur at a small cafe at noon the next day. Alfred had arrived early, eager to see the British man again. Because he arrived before Arthur, he decided he'd get himself some coffee while he waited. He sat at a table by the window and looked down the street for any sign of the other blond.

Ten minutes later, he smiled when he spotted a head of messy blond head walk down the street. Cheeks slightly pink with cold, a dark green scarf wound tightly around his neck in an attempt to keep him warm, and no doubt gloved hands shoved deep into the pockets of a thick tan coloured coat. Arthur seemed to walk at a hurried pace; Alfred guessed he wanted to get out of the cold as quickly as possible. The door of the cafe soon opened and Arthur glanced around for a few seconds before spotting Alfred. He smiled a little and walked to the counter to order his tea and as soon as he received it, he carried the cup to the table Alfred was waiting at and sat down opposite him.

"It's so cold," Arthur stated and took a small sip of his tea. Alfred watched as the British man's lips turned upwards in contentment as the hot liquid warmed him up. He soon removed his scarf and set it on the chair next to him. Alfred took a sip of his coffee and watched Arthur, who looked at him with an eyebrow raised, "What?"

"Nothing... just looking..." Alfred grinned.

"What were you looking at?"

"You of course!" Alfred's grin became wider.

Arthur's cheeks turned a slightly deeper colour pink as he blushed at the statement. He kept his hands against the warm cup to keep them heated. Alfred rested his head on his hands and couldn't take his eyes off the man in front of him.

The two talked for hours, getting to know each other more. When they decided to leave, Alfred stood and offered Arthur his hand with a brilliant smile. Arthur blushed lightly, but accepted his hand after putting his scarf on once again.

Alfred laced their fingers and led him out of the cafe. Arthur's brows furrowed for a few moments as they walked down the street. He looked at Alfred and asked, "Are you all right? After yesterday, I mean..."

"Huh... yeah! Just fine!" In truth, he woke up stiff as a board and could barely move. Not wanting to show any sign of weakness to Arthur, he smiled through the aches and pains his body was currently suffering and reassured him that all was well.

"Are you sure?" he asked worriedly. He didn't like what was going on. Alfred was a sweet man who didn't deserve to fight for him. He should just settle down with a nice guy and live life normally. He shouldn't have to meet ex's, never mind actually _defeat_ them. It was utterly absurd.

Alfred didn't seem to mind, though, and his promise the night before made Arthur think that Alfred really was the one. No one else would do this for him. They would just walk away.

As they walked down the empty, narrow path that led them to the park, Alfred gave his hand a small squeeze and was too busy staring at Arthur that he didn't notice a figure step out on to the path in front of them. The figure wore a hood over their head so one couldn't see their face. Arthur, however, would know that figure anywhere. He looked up and stopped, tugging Alfred back with him. The American stumbled a little and came back to reality, "Arthur, what...?"

Arthur nodded ahead and that was when Alfred realised. He raised his eyebrows at the figure and looked at Arthur. The Englishman looked away, and Alfred immediately knew what was happening.

"He's another, isn't he?"

"Yes... I'm sorry Alfred. It would seem that every time we have a nice time, something bad happens..."

Alfred gave his hand another squeeze, "Don't worry, I'll deal with him. You just stay back, 'kay?"

"All right," Arthur reluctantly let go of his hand and the younger blond walked towards figure in the middle of the path.

The man in front of them finally looked up when Alfred was close enough, "So... you're the guy who wants to date Arthur?" he asked in a thick German accent. Alfred nodded, determination shone brightly in his sky blue eyes. The guy nodded.

"Well then , be prepared to face me. I'm Gilbert, I'm fucking awesome, and I'm evil ex-boyfriend number two!" his hood was removed and rubies clashed with sapphires. Gilbert's white hair blew in the cold wind and Alfred noticed that on his shoulder sat a small yellow bird. Even the bird seemed to be glaring at him.

"Care to tell me about him?" Alfred asked Arthur. Arthur nodded and looked between Gilbert and Alfred, then let out a tired sigh.

"We met in London... and we dated for two weeks. Then we decided it wouldn't work out. That's it."

"He dumped the awesome me!" Gilbert shouted and pointed a finger at himself, "You can't dump me!"

"Apparently he can..." Alfred muttered and without warning, he ran forward and like he did with Antonio, he drew his fist back and brought it to the side of Gilbert's face as hard as he could. The albino stumbled to the side and clutched his face as he hissed in pain. A red mark had already formed and it would be bruised by the morning no doubt.

Alfred took a breath and stood up straight once again. Gilbert did the same and glared at him, "You bastard! You cheated! You didn't even give me a chance! That's so fucking un-awesome!"

"Yeah, yeah, I just wanna get this over with. Artie and I have a date to finish," Alfred stated and brought his fist towards Gilbert's face once again. But this time he was ready for him. He dodged the punch and moved to the side in one swift motion. He looked over at the little bird on his shoulder and nodded. The bird chirped angrily and flapped his little wings to get himself airborne. He flew towards Alfred and pecked at his face and head in at attempt to distract him. Alfred blinked and winced at the little impacts of the birds attack and tried to swat at him, however he kept missing.

Gilbert took the distraction as a chance to recover. He rubbed his cheek, and got his bearings then ran at Alfred. With his bird taking Alfred's attention away from the real opponent, he was able to strike him hard in the stomach, causing him to stagger backwards and gasp for breath. He coughed as he was winded, yet Gilbert's bird continued to flap and peck at any part of Alfred that was available.

Gilbert smirked and kicked Alfred to the ground. Arthur could only stare in horror. Alfred was loosing, and he could do nothing about it. Alfred rolled on to his side and managed to haul himself to his knees, then slowly to his feet. There was something different about him. When he looked up at Gilbert, his eyes had darkened considerably.

To Alfred, defeat was not an option.

"You will not get in the way of me and Artie!" he snapped and without warning, he swatted the little bird away and punched Gilbert as hard as he could in the face, then the stomach and kicked him to the ground. Gilbert landed hard on his back and was dazed. Alfred walked towards him and with one final punch to the side of his face, Gilbert was knocked unconscious.

Alfred stood and wiped the sweat from his brow. He took a deep breath and recovered for a few moments before looking over at Arthur, who still looked utterly horrified. He knew Gilbert would be tough, and he knew the ones after him would be even tougher, but Alfred pulled through for him. He was more determined for this than he realised.

Alfred smiled his amazing smile at his date and held his hand out to him. Arthur slowly walked towards him and grasped his outstretched hand and looked down at Gilbert, "Wh-what are you going to do about him?"

Alfred looked down at the unconscious albino and let go of Arthur's hand again. He knelt down and with a small grunt he dragged Gilbert to a tree and propped him up against it, "He'll be fine here."

Arthur nodded and gave him a small smile, "You were great..."

The American blushed then beamed at him, "Anything for you, baby," he stated happily and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, "Come on, let's go back to my place. I'm tired."

Arthur nodded and wrapped an arm around Alfred's waist in return, the two of them keeping each other warm, "Yes, lets..."

Alfred smiled and led Arthur back to his small house. Matthew had just got back from work and Alfred introduced Arthur to him briefly, before taking him up to his room. The two collapsed on the bed and he pulled Arthur close to him.

"So... we're definitely dating?" Alfred asked as he gently stroked Arthur's hair with a small smile on his face. Alfred never stopped smiling.

Arthur looked up at him and returned the smile, "Yes... yes, we definitely are."

"Good," Alfred gave him that million dollar smile and sealed it with a kiss.

* * *

><p>AN: Aaaaand there is MOAR fluff ;A; I-I can't stop...

Evil ex number two is... Gilbert! I don't know why I chose Gilbert, but I liked the idea of Gilbird being used as a distraction.

Up next: Evil ex-boyfriend number three! Who is it going to be this time?

Find out next time!

~Iggy :)


	4. Evil Ex Number Three

It had been three days since Gilbert had decided to ambush them. Alfred was very hesitant about where he took Arthur on their dates after that; he was afraid that an evil ex would be waiting around the corner to start a fight. And what made it worse, was that Alfred didn't know what to expect. It could be anyone, and they could show at any time.

However, he'd not seen any one of them. He'd worried every time he'd taken Arthur out, and every time they went out nothing happened. He'd hoped that this was the end but he knew there were still five left to face.

He rolled over and looked at the ceiling for a moment then turned to his right. He smiled a little at Arthur's sleeping form and a light blush formed on his cheeks. He may have thought that everything was starting to move a little fast, but he really liked the Brit, and he didn't want to loose him. They hadn't... _done _anything yet and Alfred was content with just cuddling whenever Arthur stayed the night, and he knew Arthur was too.

Alfred moved a little closer to him and gently wrapped his arm around him. Arthur rolled on to his side and wrapped one arm around Alfred's middle and cuddled closer. Alfred's cheeks dusted pink and he grinned a little. He planted a small kiss on Arthur's head lightly and the Englishman let out a small comforted noise before opening his eyes.

"What time is it?" he asked tiredly. Alfred smiled at him and kissed his head again.

"Nine thirty... wanna get up?" he asked. Arthur lay there for a few more moments then sat up. He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his tousled hair. He nodded and climbed out of bed and hurried to the bathroom. Alfred smiled a stupid smile and watched him. He felt so lucky to have Arthur in his life.

When the two were ready for the day, and when Alfred had finally dragged Arthur away from his conversation with Matthew, the two left the house for the carnival that was in town for the weekend. Alfred twined his fingers with Arthur and smiled at him. The Englishman smiled back and said, "I've enjoyed these past three days, Alfred. They've been nice."

Alfred beamed, "Me too Artie! You looking forward to the carnival?"

Arthur paused for a moment then replied, "Some aspects of it, yes."

Alfred just laughed, "You'll love it. We'll get some cotton candy too! Have you ever had that?"

"Of course I have," Arthur sighed but he was smiling lightly, "Why wouldn't I?"

"I dunno!" he laughed again, "Whatever, it's gunna be fun, and nothing is gunna ruin it, 'kay?"

"Yes Alfred, it's going to be a good day," Arthur smiled and gave his hand a small squeeze. A tiny blush appeared on Alfred's face and he smiled back.

They walked for a little longer and they soon reached the carnival. As soon as they arrived, Alfred dragged Arthur to one of the games. It was the one where they had to knock over the cans. Before Arthur could speak, Alfred grinned and stepped forward, "Don't you worry about it, Artie... I got this."

Arthur laughed, "All right Alfred, whatever you say."

Alfred took the three balls from the guy and narrowed his eyes at the stacked cans. He had three shots; it can't be that hard, right?

He threw one ball and a pout formed on his lips when he saw that he missed completely. Determined, he tried again and failed.

"Why can't I do it!" he whined and looked over at Arthur. Arthur just gave him an encouraging smile, which made Alfred's pout fade. He'd do it for Arthur.

He took a breath and threw the ball as hard as he could. The satisfying clash of the tin cans falling over made Alfred literally jump for joy. Arthur beamed at him and clapped, "Well done," he praised and walked forward to give him a hug. Alfred hugged him back and picked him up to spin him around. Startled, Arthur clung on to him and Alfred laughed as he put him down.

The guy in charge of the stand laughed too and said, "Pick a prize."

"What do you want, Artie?" Alfred asked as he wrapped an arm around his waist. Arthur looked up at the prize choices then pointed up at a plush.

"That one."

"The... unicorn?" Alfred asked and glanced at Arthur. The Brit nodded and looked at the guy expectantly. He removed the plush from the shelf and handed it to Arthur, who thanked him with a small smile. When the two walked away, Alfred was a little confused about something.

"You didn't tell me you liked... stuff like that?"

Arthur huffed, "You didn't ask. And besides... what's wrong with it anyway?"

"Nothing! Nothing, I promise. It's cute!"

Arthur blushed and looked at him. He smiled a little and leaned in to kiss his lips lightly. Alfred returned the smile and kissed him back happily. They stopped walking and when Alfred wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist, a voice from their left stated, "Well isn't this nice."

Arthur pulled away instantly and looked at the owner of that voice, "You. What are you... oh..."

Alfred looked around at the person Arthur was talking to and he knew instantly who this person was. He gritted his teeth. Why now, of all times to show up?

"Francis, please tell me you're... you are, aren't you?"

The man named Francis grinned, "Angleterre, you know this isn't how it was suppose to be."

"Shut up!" Arthur looked at Alfred as they followed Francis around a corner out of the view of the public. They didn't want to cause any trouble, "Get rid of him!"

"Um... all right," Alfred said and walked forward to Francis, "Hey, um... how do you know Arthur?"

"Ah, it was a hot passionate night-"

"Francis!"

"What? It is true, oui?"

"Yes- no! I mean no!"

Alfred looked between them and he didn't like how Francis was irritating Arthur. He looked at Francis and without warning he punched him as hard as he could. Francis staggered back holding his face and he looked at Alfred with wide eyes.

"You! You did that without warning!" he stated looking completely horrified, "All right, if you want to play dirty, then we will."

Francis rushed for him and punched him back. Alfred blinked at the blow and rubbed his cheek. Francis wasted no time in throwing another punch which caused the American to loose his balance and fall down on his ass. He blinked again as Francis laughed.

"Aha, stupid American. You try, and you fail."

"Alfred! Get up right now!" Arthur demanded at him. He looked angry. Alfred didn't like it. He got himself to his feet, and glared at Francis. The blows hurt but they weren't hard enough to leave a bruise. Francis smirked and moved to punch him again, but Alfred moved out of the way in time. Francis staggered forward as he missed and Alfred tripped him.

He watched Francis fall flat on his face and he laughed loudly at him. Francis' cheeks turned a deep red as he rolled on to his side and stood up.

"You-" he couldn't finish his sentence as Alfred's fist come sailing into his cheek once again. Francis fell to the ground and Alfred picked him by the front of his shirt and punched him one last time.

He dropped Francis to the ground when he was unconscious and then dragged him a little ways so he could prop him up against the wall, "There."

Arthur smiled. He smiled wider at this defeat than he had at any of the others.

Alfred looked over at Francis, then at Arthur, "You really don't like him, do you?"

Arthur's smile faded and he shook his head, "No... I really don't... he broke my heart."

Alfred quickly brought him into a tight embrace, "It's all right, he won't hurt you anymore... hey, let's ride the ferris wheel!"

Arthur smiled weakly and nodded, "All right..." he took Alfred's hand and led him back to the middle of carnival where the wheel was situated. Alfred beamed at him as they waited in line, and to take Arthur's mind off the incident he distracted him with little kisses to his cheeks and lips. The British man laughed lightly at that and when they reached the front the climbed into the seats and pulled the bar down. The wheel moved up and Alfred looked over the side excitedly as it ascended. Arthur couldn't help but laugh at the childishness he displayed.

"I love this thing!" Alfred declared and leant back. He wrapped an arm around Arthur and looked out at the view of the city. The view was magnificent and this was one of the reasons why this was one of Alfred's favourite rides at a carnival.

Arthur looked out to the view and he smiled lightly. He looked over at Alfred and made him look at him. Their eyes locked for a small moment and Arthur leaned in. Alfred leaned in and met him half way and their lips connected in a loving kiss.

This was the other reason why Alfred loved ferris wheels so much.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm sorry for this being late! ;A; I just got lazy! There's no other reason... OTL

Introducing... Francis! Yay! 8DD Four evil ex's to go~

That's all...

~Iggy :)


	5. Evil Ex Number Four

"No."

"But Arthur-"

"No. I refuse. I'm not going."

Alfred sighed and clutched on to Arthur's arm. For the past ten minutes he'd been trying to convince the Englishman to join him at the comic convention that was the next day. Alfred went every year without fail and sometimes he dragged Toris with him but this year he wanted Arthur to come with, but the Brit was not relenting.

"Please Arthur. Please..."

Arthur rolled his eyes and looked at him with a sigh. This wasn't something he would usually do, but in the end he sighed again and nodded, "Oh all right..."

"Yay!" Alfred cuddled him tightly and kissed the top of his head, "Thanks Arthur! This means a lot."

"Yes, yes... please just let go... I can't breathe..."

"Right!" Alfred let go and took hold of Arthur's hand as the continued to walk down the street. They had just come back from a date and Alfred thought the softening his boyfriend up a little, and it kind of worked. The American bounced along side his boyfriend with pure excitement for the next day, and he continued, "You can stay at my house tonight!"

"All right," Arthur agreed with a small sigh. He knew he wasn't getting out of this one.

"And then we can leave early so we get there first!"

"I highly doubt that we'd get there first."

Alfred blinked and asked, "Huh? Why? I've get there first for the past three years! Why can't I get there first this year?"

Arthur stared at him incredulously. He sometimes asked himself what he'd done to deserve this. But then he'd remind himself of what Alfred had done for him and he decided that he was lucky. And besides, why couldn't he do this for Alfred? The American had done so much for him already.

But Arthur had a bad feeling about this, but he didn't want to ruin the day for Alfred. He seemed so excited.

They arrived back at Alfred's place and Arthur talked to his brother Matthew for a while as Alfred ran around the house getting ready for the next day. When he was done, he looked over at his brother and his boyfriend and asked, "What are you two talking about?"

"Oh nothing," Matthew said quickly. With a small smile, he excused himself and retired to his room for the rest of the night. Alfred smirked at the Brit and moved a little closer to him. He slowly slipped his arms around his waist and pulled him to his chest. Arthur blinked a little at the action and watched the American. Alfred smiled a little.

"Thanks for coming with me tomorrow," he said, "I appreciate it."

"It's no problem..." Arthur said. He still had that bad feeling but he didn't think he could hide it. Maybe if he just mentioned it, "Alfred..."

"Mmhm?"

"I... I have a bad feeling about tomorrow. I don't know why, I just..." he trailed out and looked at the American in hop he understood what he meant. It took a moment but Alfred finally understood.

"Don't worry about it. I'll deal with that when I have to, 'kay? I just want us to have a good time tomorrow," he said and planted a kiss on Arthur's forehead, "It'll be fine."

"Okay, if you're sure," Arthur said and managed a small smile. Alfred nodded and beamed at him. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Arthur's lips, and the Englishman eagerly returned it.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Alfred was awake before his alarm went off because he was too excited to sleep. He looked over at the time and groaned lightly. He still had another hour. He looked over at Arthur, who was still fast asleep and he smiled softly.<p>

Was it fate that he met Arthur at the library that day? Even if it wasn't, he still felt incredibly lucky to have found someone like him. Yeah, he still had the problem of the ex-boyfriends, but he knew he could deal with it. Alfred found himself thinking he'd do just about anything for Arthur.

The American didn't even realise he was staring. He loved the way the early morning sunlight hit Arthur's blond hair. Alfred found himself smiling; Arthur almost looked angelic. Almost being the key word. He knew that Arthur was anything but. He laughed quietly to himself, switched off his alarm then wrapped his arms around Arthur and smiled wider when he saw the Brit move a little closer to him for the extra warmth. He rested his cheek atop Arthur's golden hair and closed his eyes and dozed for a little while. He decided a little longer couldn't hurt, and besides, even though he was excited, he'd rather stay in bed with Arthur.

When the hour was finally up, Alfred carefully removed his arms from around Arthur and shook his shoulder lightly, "Hey Artie, we need to get up," he whispered in his ear. Arthur opened his eyes a little and blinked back the sleep and groaned. Alfred chuckled a little and sat up. He stood and stretched, "Come on, I've been awake an hour. I'm not waiting any longer for you to get your lazy ass out of bed."

He looked over to see Arthur glaring at him and he started to laugh. The Brit cuddled a little closer to the duvet and Alfred sighed. He grabbed the end of the duvet and Arthur gave him a challenging stare.

"I will," he said with a smirk, "I'll take it away if you don't get up."

Arthur continued to glare and Alfred's smirk grew. With one swift tug, he tore the duvet off Arthur, earning a small whine from the British male. Alfred burst into boisterous laughter and he picked the duvet up off the floor then walked to Arthur, "Don't make me drag you out of bed too."

Arthur wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. He glared again and walked into the bathroom to get ready for the day. Alfred smiled victoriously at him before he closed the door.

* * *

><p>The two finished getting ready and were soon on their way. The convention was within walking distance from Alfred's place so they decided to travel by foot. Arthur was still in a sour mood from earlier and no matter how much Alfred apologised, he just wouldn't listen.<p>

Well whatever, Alfred decided that Arthur's moodiness wouldn't ruin his day. He'd been looking forward to this for months and there was no way it would get spoilt.

The convention centre was huge and Alfred stared in awe. It wasn't like he wasn't used to it, because he was. He always felt like this whenever he came back. He grinned at Arthur and tugged him into a random direction. The Englishman did nothing but pout and huff for the first half hour then eventually he started to enjoy himself. He got himself a picture from an artist there and that cheered him up considerably.

Alfred on the other hand was having the time of his life. There were a few celebrities within the comic book world of which were there and he got so excited that Arthur thought he may actually explode or something. Alfred had brought along his favourite comics and had them signed and Arthur watched them with an amused expression. His boyfriend looked like he was about to die of heart failure or something.

After a long time of wandering around (meaning Alfred running to random stalls and Arthur following him because he had no choice), the two decided to take a break. They found somewhere quiet and away from the chaos of the convention to sit to relax for a while before continuing on. This was Arthur's idea, seeing as he was tired and he knew for a fact that Alfred could continue forever if he really wanted to.

He was still nervous; that bad feeling still hadn't left him and for the last hour he felt himself looking over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed. He was fidgety and anxious and he didn't want anything to ruin Alfred's favourite day of the year (apart from Christmas and his birthday). He placed his hands in his lap to stop him fidgeting and he was barely listening to Alfred's stories about previous years at this convention.

Alfred finally looked over at him and saw that something was troubling his boyfriend. He stopped talking about his stories and asked, "What's wrong?"

Arthur jumped a little then blushed. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even realise Alfred had stopped talking about the con. He shrugged a little. That answer wasn't one that would satisfy Alfred.

"No, something's up. Tell me."

"I still have that bad feeling," Arthur said and Alfred's gaze softened. He reached over and took Arthur's hand on his and gave it a small squeeze. When the Brit looked over at him he gave him a reassuring smile.

"I told you I'd deal with it when the time comes," he said softly, "So don't worry about it, 'kay?"

"It's hard not too..."

"I know, but please try," Alfred kissed his hand lightly, which earned him a small smile from Arthur. The American looked pleased with himself and he gave Arthur's hand another squeeze.

Truth be told, they both wished whoever this ex was would just show up so they could get this over with. Alfred was a little nervous too and he felt unsettled by the idea that some random guy could come and challenge him. He didn't even know what he looked like and with the many cosplayers here, he doubted Arthur would be able to help either. The best they could do would be to just wait and hope he showed up soon.

As Alfred let go of Arthur's hand, he noticed someone had appeared in front of them. From what Alfred could see, he was wearing some kind of ninja costume and he was glaring right at him. He looked over at Arthur and saw that he was thinking the same thing he was:

Oh shit!

The ninja-dude (as Alfred had named him) approached closer and without a word, he withdrew the sword he was carrying with him. He narrowed his eyes a little and said, "I am evil ex-boyfriend number four!"

Oh double shit.

Alfred looked over at Arthur who shifted nervously, "Hello Kiku..."

The ninja-dude, now named Kiku, nodded at Arthur then continued to glare at Alfred. Without a word, he ran forward and swiped at him with his sword. Alfred yelled and ducked out of the way, telling Arthur to get at a safe distance. Arthur did so and watched with wide eyes.

Kiku stood up again and without giving Alfred a chance to think, he hurried at him again with the sword poised ready for attack. He swiped at him again a few times and Alfred just about managed to duck and avoid the attacks.

"Arthur!" he whined and looked over at the shell-shocked Englishman, "What do I do?"

"I don't know! Just fight him off!"

"He's got a fucking sword!" he wailed and jumped to the side to avoid Kiku's sword once more. Alfred started to panic. Now his life was in danger. What kind of crazies did Arthur date anyway?

"Why would you date this guy?" Alfred demanded and resorted to throwing things at Kiku. The Japanese man merely avoided them with skill and continued trying to swipe at Alfred with his sword.

"I don't know!" Arthur said again and he covered his eyes with his hands as the sword got a little too close to Alfred for his liking.

The blond American had to think of something and he had to think of something fast. He noticed a stall from the corner of his eye and he ran as fast as he could towards it. Kiku followed not so far behind and before he could swipe, Alfred was holding a comic out to him.

"Hey buddy!" Alfred smiled nervously, "You like comic's right? Well... I'll give you this, but only if you stop attacking me. It's limited addition..."

Kiku's eyes lit up, his emotionless mask finally cracking and he dropped the sword at his feet, "Deal."

Alfred looked at the price and immediately regretted it. However, it was this or risk getting his head cut off so he paid for the comic. He approached Kiku, who reached out for the comic but he was only met by a punch to the face. The Japanese man fell to the floor unconscious and Alfred looked behind him to see the stall owner looking at him with wide eyes. The American went into his wallet and gave the man an extra ten dollars and he said, "You saw nothing."

The man nodded and put the ten dollars in his pocket and turned away. Alfred grabbed Kiku's ankles and dragged him back to the bench and lifted him on it. He then retrieved his sword and put it back and then placed the comic in Kiku's bag. Arthur slowly made his way over to him and Alfred wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. From the embrace he could tell that the Brit was shaking from head to foot and he gave him a gentle kiss on the top of his head, "It's okay, Arthur. Don't worry. I'm fine, see..."

Arthur nodded and returned the hug, "It's only going to get worse..."

"I know, but I'll deal with it. You know I can. I beat Kiku; I can beat the others..."

Arthur nodded again and moved away from the hug. He wiped at his eyes lightly as they started to tear up and he managed a tiny smile, "Are you just going to leave him there?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Alfred said with a smile and he took hold of Arthur's hand, "Come on... let's finish having a good time."

"All right," Arthur said and gave his hand a small squeeze. Alfred happily returned the pressure and the two of them walked back to the con.

However, little did they know, someone was watching their every move.

* * *

><p>AN: Chapter five. Introducing evil ex-boyfriend number four- Kiku~!

Sorry this has taken so long, I've had this half written for a while and then I got sick ;n; So if there are any mistakes, sorry and I'll deal with them when I'm better.

And I've never been to a convention before so please don't be like "I WRONG!"

Because I'm sick and I don't care and I'll probably ignore you :3

Enjoy~ :3


	6. Evil Ex Number Five

"I don't know why you made me come here," Arthur grumbled as he hoisted his bag up onto his shoulder. He glanced around the large sandy beach and sighed. He didn't usually like beaches; it was too hot, he burnt easily (which is why he was also carrying a large beach parasol so he could be shaded at all times), he could barely swim so he avoided going to too deep into the sea and he hated the way the sand felt between his toes. Basically, he just hated most things about beaches.

He and Alfred had decided to have a little holiday to take a break from the evil exes. When Arthur found out they were staying near a beach, he didn't really want to go, but unable to say no, he dealt with it and now followed his boyfriend along the sand in search of a perfect location.

"You'll learn to love it," Alfred said with that beaming smile of his and he looked at the ground as though he were inspecting the sand. His smile faded and an expression of concentration graced his features and Arthur had to raise an eyebrow.

"Love, what are you doing?" he asked as he moved a little in order to Alfred's face a little better.

"Lookin' for a good spot," he answered simply. He walked a few more steps then stopped abruptly, "There!"

Arthur looked down; this spot looked no different from the rest of the beach. He looked around and almost facepalmed. Not too far behind them was an ice cream stand. Arthur now knew why Alfred chose this spot.

He didn't argue though. He stabbed the end of the parasol into the sand and opened it up. He placed his towel in the shade and when he made sure he was well covered, he sat down and began to look through his bag. He found his sunscreen and began to apply it. Alfred watched him with a confused expression then shrugged and placed his own towel next to Arthur's, but not too close so he was in the shade. Alfred loved the sun and he tanned so easily he didn't have to wear much sunscreen. Arthur still forced him to wear it though ("Don't blame me when you burn!"), and he didn't want to argue so he did anyway.

Arthur finished with the cream and put it back inside his bag. He then got himself comfortable and withdrew his book from the bag and settled down to read it. Alfred had already taken his shirt off and was lying on his towel. Arthur glanced at him; any minute now he would want to build a sandcastle with him or go play in the sea or something. Any minute now...

Any minute...

Any minute—

"Arthur?" Alfred sat up. He smiled at the Brit and asked, "Wanna build a sandcastle?"

Arthur looked down at his page and frowned; he wanted to read his book but the look Alfred was giving him was just too adorable, "...Fine, but only for a bit."

"Awesome. This sandcastle will be the most badass sandcastle in the world!"

Arthur couldn't help but laugh a little. Alfred was so childish sometimes.

"All right, if you say so," he smiled and moved out of the shade to sit in the sun. He figured he would be okay for a little while, "Let's get started."

Alfred smiled and they did just that. Alfred made one sandcastle, and Arthur made another and soon they had a bunch of little castles and Alfred came up with the idea of combining them all and soon they had a huge fortress. Arthur smiled the whole time; he was enjoying this far too much.

"I wish we had a flag or something to put on the top," Alfred pouted and Arthur patted his head sympathetically.

"Maybe we'll find something," he said and Alfred nodded. The Brit looked at him and frowned. He noticed that Al's shoulders were starting to look a little red.

"Alfred, I think you're burning..."

"No I'm not!" he replied quickly and jumped up. Arthur didn't look amused as he stood up too. He was not dealing with this shit today... no way.

"Alfred!" he snapped and grabbed a bottle of sunscreen. He scowled and walked towards the retreating American, "You get back here right now!"

"No! I'm fine Artie, I promise. I'm not burning!"

"Alfred!" Arthur moved to grab hold of him but Alfred was too fast. He jumped back and took off down the beach as fast as he could. Arthur watched incredulously; he was worse than his twelve year old brother when it came to applying sunscreen. He sighed; well, if Alfred couldn't be bothered then neither could he. He put the bottle in his bag and sat down on his towel again. He picked up his book and started from where he left off.

* * *

><p>Alfred continued to run until he realised that he wasn't being followed. He looked behind him and sighed; Arthur must have given up... he clearly didn't want to deal with Alfred's stubbornness today.<p>

Pouting, Alfred looked around and he realised that he had no idea where he was. He'd run so far that he had forgotten where Arthur was and he sighed as he looked around again. He tried to spot the brightly coloured parasol but he had no luck; they all looked the same!

Whining a little, he decided to go back the way he came. Maybe he would be able to find Arthur if he looked hard enough. He was already starting to feel lonely and he was already regretting running away from him. He moved his head the best he could to try and look at his shoulders and he could see that Arthur was right; he was burning but he was just too stubborn to do anything about it.

The sand was burning his feet as he made his way through the sea of towels and parasols. He hurried to the sea and walked along the waters edge to cool down. He whined quietly once again; he just wanted to find Arthur.

As he looked for the Englishman, he wasn't watching where he was going and the next thing he knew he had a face full of sand and water as he managed to trip over someone. He jumped to his feet quickly and looked around. He saw he'd tripped over a young girl and he blushed, "Hey, I'm sorry... I wasn't watching where I was going."

The girl looked up at him from her position on the ground and she tilted her head. Then she smiled. She stood up and tucked her long brown hair behind her ear and she said, "It's all right. I'm going to get my revenge by beating you anyway."

"Huh?"

"Have you not realised yet? I'm evil ex-girlfriend number five!" she stated and sized Alfred up. She smiled again, "You'll be easy, I think."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Just wait a minute!" Alfred shook his head and looked at the girl with wide eyes, "Did you just say evil ex-_girlfriend_?"

"Yes, I did," she said and tilted her head again. Alfred could only stare; how can this girl be an ex!

"I'm so confused!" Alfred whined and clutched his head, "I thought Arthur was gay!"

"Oh, he is," the girl smiled happily and before she could speak again, Arthur appeared at Alfred's side.

"I did say you were burning," he said in a disapproving tone. He looked over at the girl and his expression turned to one of shock, "Oh..."

"Hi Arthur, remember me?" the girl smiled. Arthur blinked for a moment then got himself together.

"Of course I do, Chelle," he said with a sigh. Alfred looked confused and Arthur started to explain, "Alfred, this is Michelle... she's my ex-girlfriend—"

"I kinda guessed that already, Artie..."

Arthur sighed again and continued, "We dated last year..."

"I thought you were gay!" Alfred whined.

"I am!" Arthur snapped and Michelle started to giggle, "I was just... experimenting..."

"Experimenting with a girl?" Alfred asked, now thoroughly confused, "If you knew you were gay, then why did you...?"

"I don't know, all right? I don't know! I honestly didn't think she would be here..." he said and looked at Michelle with a wary expression, "I'm assuming you here to challenge Alfred?"

Michelle nodded gleefully. That innocent exterior was nothing compared to what Alfred was about to face. However, the American took a step back shaking his head.

"No way."

Both Arthur and Michelle looked at him with confused expressions, "What?" Arthur asked and Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not fighting a girl. No way. Sorry, Artie... I just can't do it."

Michelle looked at the flustered (and sunburnt) American and burst into a fit of giggles, "Silly! You're not fighting me!"

Alfred looked confused again, "Huh?"

"Honestly, you thought that I'd put you through that? I know I'm evil and stuff but I can't have you known as 'the guy who beats up girls'... however, I can have you known as 'the guy who gets beaten by girls',"

"Hey! That's not fair!" Alfred pouted and he crossed his arms. What else was he supposed to do? Michelle smiled and started to walk away and while she did so, she gestured for them to follow her. Arthur and Alfred looked at each other and followed the girl off the beach and to a small cafe on the sea front. She took a seat and pointed for Alfred to sit opposite her. The American looked at Arthur, who nodded, so he sat down. Arthur sat between them and they both looked at Michelle expectantly.

She only smiled and she placed her arm on the table, her elbow resting on the surface and she held her arm up. Alfred shook his head.

"I'm not having an arm wrestle with a girl!"

Michelle's arm fell on to the table and she started to look a little annoyed, "Then what?" she asked, "You're not going to fight me, are you?"

"No way!"

"Then what?" she asked again. Arthur could see that she was starting to get fed up, "I want to get this over with just as much as you do," she said with a sigh, "So are we going to do this or what?"

"No!" Alfred flailed a little. Arthur moved away until he stopped then he went back to how he was, "Can we just... do Rock, Paper Scissors instead?"

Michelle contemplated this and eventually she nodded, "Okay."

Alfred sighed in relief and held his fist over the table. He watched Michelle do the same and he said, "Okay, after three. One... two... three!"

They both made their move and Michelle smiled triumphantly, "I win!" she looked down at her hands, "Paper beats rock!"

"Uh... best out of three?" Alfred suggested quickly and the girl rolled her eyes. Nonetheless, she agreed.

"Fine... after three," she said and they got into position, "One, two, three!"

They made their move once again and this time it was Alfred's turn to smile, "Scissors beats paper!" he exclaimed happily and he even did a little happy dance. Arthur raised an eyebrow and watched his crazy American boyfriend. However, he did nothing to stop him. He rested his head on his hand and continued to watch the two of them. As if this day couldn't get any weirder.

He had to admit, though, at least none of them were getting hurt. At least it wasn't like that time with Kiku, or Gilbert. At least Arthur didn't have to watch on while trying to hold back a heart attack.

Alfred looked over at Arthur and planted a wet kiss on his forehead and the Englishman made a face before wiping it off. Alfred pouted, "Why'd you wipe away my kiss?"

"Because it was sloppy," Arthur complained, "If you're going to kiss me, do it properly."

Alfred whined and leaned in again but Arthur didn't let him, "No," he said sternly and pushed Alfred away, "You have to finish this!"

The American had forgotten about Michelle. She watched the two of them with a bored expression and said, "Yeah, I'd like to get this done too. I have things to do today, you know?"

"Then why waste your time here when you could be doing stuff?" Alfred asked and Michelle made a tsking sound.

"I have to do this. It's my turn, stupid. Now stop getting distracted and let's finish this!" she snapped and placed her fist in the middle of the table again. Alfred furrowed his brows in concentration and he copied her. They stared at each other from across the table and each of them narrowed their eyes. Michelle smiled a little and continued, "After three..."

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!" they both said in unison and they both made their move. Alfred closed his eyes quickly, too scared to see if he'd lost or not. After a moment he opened his eyes to see that his rock had beaten Michelle's scissors and he laughed boisterously.

"I won! I won! I won!" he shouted happily and flailed his arms around. Arthur ducked once more and kept an emotionless facade but really on the inside was as happy as can be.

Michelle huffed and stood up. She flicked her brown pigtails over her shoulder and glared at Alfred, "You were lucky. Next time, you won't get away that easily..." as she moved away from the table, she whacked Alfred across the head with her fish plush and stalked away from the table. Alfred straightened his glasses and blinked at her actions before looking back over at Arthur.

"Um... what just happened?"

Arthur rolled his eyes and stood up too. Alfred did the same and the two of them walked back to their towels.

"You won, Alfred... there are only two more to go..." Arthur said. The American beside him nodded and looked ahead.

"Yeah... and I'm gunna beat them too..." he said and smiled a little.

"She was right, though... about you getting off easy today."

Alfred shrugged, "That's only 'cause she was a girl."

"Yes, well... you do realise that it's only going to get more difficult now?" Arthur asked and looked at Alfred with worry in his eyes.

"Of course I do," he smiled and he wrapped his arm around Arthur and pulled him close, "I know you worry but we've gotten this far, right?" Arthur nodded and Alfred continued, "Exactly. We'll see this through to the end and then no one will ever get in the way, all right?"

Arthur nodded, "All right."

"Good. Now let's enjoy the rest of the day. I still haven't finished my badass sandcastle of awesomeness!" Alfred said and planted another kiss on Arthur's temple.

Arthur nodded and the two of them reached their towels, "Be that as it may, Alfred Jones, you still need to apply sunscreen."

Alfred did nothing but pout for the next half and hour.

* * *

><p>AN: Introducing evil ex-boy...I mean, _girl_friend number five! Seychelles! Okay, I was got stuck on this chapter because I didn't know whether to have all the exes to be guys or follow the movie and have a girl in there too. I decided to go for a girl because obviously the scenario would be different and it'll make a change from writing scenes where all they do is beat each other up. So cue confused Alfred when he finds out that Artie has an ex-girlfriend xD Also, I named her Michelle because I've noticed that in a lot of fics people name her that because it's the closest name to her country name. Michelle/Seychelles... yeah, it works for me so :3 I'll hopefully have the next chapters up within the next couple of days and I'm hoping to have this finished by next week. Then I can concentrate on Bite and Of Heroes and Villains :3 Also expect some little one shots in between updates :3 So long comment is long but I think I'll leave this right here...


	7. Evil Ex Number Six

Winter was finally in full swing. The snow fell softly from the grey sky and ice set on the paths making them perilous to walk on... as Arthur found out that Saturday morning.

He cursed and huffed as he walked to Alfred's house; the American was forcing him to come over so they could watch a movie and cuddle and do 'couple-y' things, as he had described it.

"_Come on Artie, come over and we can cuddle and be couple-y!" Alfred had begged, clinging on to Arthur's arm with that adorable pout on his face. Arthur would have to build immunity to that. The Brit scoffed and shook his head._

"_Alfred, it's cold and icy outside, what if I slipped over?" he questioned. Hopefully Alfred would consider this and he could stay in and have a cup of tea while reading a book. But no, it wasn't to be because Alfred had shaken his head and declared with a big smile, "No way! That won't happen! You'll be fine!" he cuddled him some more and asked, "So you coming over or what?"_

"_Oh fine. You're a git, you know."_

"_But I'm your git, right?"_

"_I suppose so..."_

Arthur grumbled to himself and wondered how he'd managed to let himself get wound around Alfred's finger like that. He pulled the collar of his coat up higher and adjusted the scarf around his neck in a poor attempt to keep warm. The British man was used to cold weather, but this was ridiculous.

He walked slowly in order to keep his balance and when he arrived at the American's house, he was greeted with a beaming smile and a cup of hot chocolate that Alfred had prepared while he waited for Arthur to arrive. Shocked by this, he smiled and took the cup from him and he felt the irritation melt away. Alfred knew that he'd done something right because he smiled that big smile of his once again and planted a kiss on Arthur's head.

"Come on!" he said when Arthur had taken his coat, scarf and shoes off and followed Alfred into the living room. Alfred sat down on the large plush couch and patted the seat next to him with a cute smile. Arthur rolled his eyes and sat next to him.

"I don't know why I let you persuade me like this..." he said and sipped the hot chocolate. It tasted amazing, but he wasn't going to tell Alfred that.

"Like what?" Alfred asked, obviously puzzled.

"Walking all the way here in the ice and snow, risking my life—"

"Arthur, you live ten minutes away. Stop being so dramatic!" Alfred smiled, "You're alive, aren't ya?"

"Yes, well—"

"Then there's nothing to complain about!" Alfred said and jumped up again, "So I was thinking we could watch this movie!" he ran over to his DVD collection and picked up Superman. Arthur wrinkled his nose.

"No."

"Wha...?" Alfred looked dumfounded that someone could _actually_ decline Superman! He huffed and pouted but when he saw that Arthur was not going to budge with his decision, he put it back and went to find something else. Arthur sat on the couch and waited and while he did so, he sipped the hot chocolate and looked around. That was when he realised that he'd never really noticed much about Alfred's house before. It was cosy to say the least, and on top of the fireplace were pictures of Alfred and his brother and presumably their parents. Arthur smiled a little and he thought of his own mother. Just wait until she heard about his new boyfriend...

Arthur turned his gaze to the coffee table and he noticed some papers sprawled out over the top. Curious, he set the cup down and looked through them and he smiled when he realised they were doodles. Obviously in a typical comic book layout, Arthur moved the papers to see if he could figure out a storyline. When he managed to get the papers in order, Alfred turned around and asked, "This one! You'll love it, I promise!" he held out X-Men to the Brit and Arthur shook his head. Alfred let his hand fall to his side and his eyes widened.

"Why not? Don't tell me you hate X-Men too! Look at Wolverine! Look at how badass he is! _Look at him!_"

Arthur wasn't paying attention anymore. He was looking through the doodles and when Alfred realised he was being ignored again, he looked down to see what Arthur was looking at.

"Oh hey, I didn't realise I'd left these here," he said and went back to Arthur.

"You drew these?" Arthur asked with a raised eyebrow. Alfred pouted.

"Don't look so surprised!" he stated and continued to pout, "A hero can be talented too, y'know!"

"Yes, yes, I don't doubt that for a minute," Arthur smiled a little and he picked up his cup again, "They're very good."

"Thanks!" Alfred seemed to glow whenever he was praised. He was very much like a child in that respect and Arthur found it adorable. He paused for a moment then continued, "Hey! There's one you haven't seen!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah! It's of me and you!" he said beaming. He stood up and ran upstairs to his room and a few moments later, he came back with a piece of paper, "It's not done yet," Alfred said and he blushed a little, "But here..." he passed him the paper and Arthur looked at it.

There were five panels; the first was nothing but a tree and a doodle of a man who looked very much like Arthur. Alfred had drawn him wearing a sweater vest and he'd shaded the pants in black. Arthur's eyebrows were very over exaggerated, which irritated him a little. He noticed that the doodle of himself was sitting in the tree. The next panel was the same but with Alfred this time. He noticed that Alfred had drawn himself in an outfit similar to Superman but instead on the S there was an A in its place. Arthur finally started to figure out the story. In the third panel, the hero Alfred realised that Arthur was stuck in the tree and he flew- yes, flew- up to the tree and picked him up. The fourth panel had Alfred set Arthur down on the floor and the doodle of Arthur was looking very grateful. Hero Alfred looked pleased with himself. The fifth panel had them both kissing which made Arthur blush a little. He cleared his throat and smiled a little.

"That's very good," he commented and handed the paper back. Alfred shook his head and said, "You keep it. It was for you anyway."

"Really?" Arthur asked and looked down at the paper again as Alfred nodded eagerly. The Brit looked at the paper again and said, "You told me it wasn't finished..."

"Yeah, well I think it looks okay like that!" Alfred insisted and smiled. Arthur smiled a little more, "Thank you..." he folded it carefully and slipped it into his pocket. Alfred beamed and jumped up again to find a movie to watch.

Eventually, Alfred decided on Batman and that was when Arthur realised that they would be watching a movie of this genre and there was nothing he could do about it. But he didn't mind Batman... to an extent. Alfred popped the DVD in the player and jumped back to the couch. He slipped an arm around Arthur's shoulder and held him close. Arthur sipped the rest of the hot chocolate and leaned forward to place it on the table then he settled back into Alfred's embrace. The American shifted his position slightly and adjusted his body so he was lying on the couch instead of sitting up. Arthur did the same and he was quite happy to cuddle with Alfred while they watched the movie.

Nestled in Alfred's embrace, Arthur felt warm and protected. He let his head rest against the American's chest and after a half hour, he started to feel tired. He tried to keep his eyes opened but the more he tried the harder it became. Eventually he fell asleep.

Arthur dreamt. He dreamt of what life could be like when all of this was over. He dreamt of spending the rest of his life with the man that had fought so hard for him. It made him smile. Arthur loved Alfred- there was no doubt about that. Obviously he knew that no one else would go to all this trouble for him. It was very touching and his heart fluttered when he realised that this nightmare would soon be over.

A loud snore ripped him from his dream and his eyes widened. He blinked the sleep away and raised a hand to rub at his eyes. He glanced around the room and he realised that the TV was now off and the room was darkening considerably. The snore sounded again and Arthur jumped slightly. What the...? He looked at Alfred and a small smile crept to his lips when he realised that Alfred had fallen asleep too. The American still had his arm around him and he snored once again. Arthur couldn't help but laugh when he saw that Alfred's glasses were askew. Whenever he had stayed the night, Alfred had never snored like this. He didn't mind though. Arthur shifted slightly and looked at his watch- his eyes widened when he realised that he had slept for most of the day. When he tried to move, Alfred whined in his sleep and his grip around his waist tightened. Arthur scowled and he tried to move once again but Alfred held on. Eventually, he was left with no choice but to wake him up.

"Alfred," Arthur said and shook his boyfriend's shoulder lightly. The American did nothing to show he was about to wake up. Arthur scowled once again, "Alfred, wake up!"

Another whine escaped from Alfred but he did open his eyes slightly. Arthur smiled and placed a kiss on Alfred's head, "I need to get home, it is rather late."

Incoherent mumbling came from Alfred as he pulled Arthur to his chest. The Englishman spluttered and pushed at him but with no avail.

"Stay here..." Alfred said when he was feeling more awake. Arthur shook his head.

"No, I need to go home... now kindly release me, I'm finding it hard to breathe..."

Pouting but complying with Arthur's request, Alfred finally released him and sat up. He straightened his glasses and stood up. He stretched and ran a hand through his hair then shuffled to the kitchen, "Want anything?"

"No thank you..."

Alfred came back a few moments later with some soda and sat next to Arthur again. He smiled sleepily, "You're cute."

"I am not," Arthur insisted and crossed his arms.

"You are when you're trying to stay awake," Alfred snickered. The Brit blushed and huffed.

"I am not..."

"Are too!"

"Whatever," Arthur sighed, "When did you fall asleep?"

"After the movie..." he said and finished his soda, "Figured I'd take a nap too, y'know? Since I wasn't gunna make out with you and stuff."

Arthur blushed and stood up, "Well..." he said and paused. Alfred was just smiling at him; his blue eyes sparking brightly. Arthur blushed, "I should leave."

"I'll walk you home," Alfred said and jumped up too. He ran to find his bomber jacket but Arthur shook his head, "No... I can get home fine by myself."

"No way, it's dark outside and it's cold and icy and stuff!"

"You had no problem with that before..." Arthur huffed but moved to get his coat and scarf. He put his shoes on and Alfred led the way out. The cold evening air hit them like a brick wall. Arthur shivered and he pulled the scarf closer to his skin as Alfred took his hand. He laced their fingers as he led the Brit away from his house. They stepped on to the path and started to walk to Arthur's place.

They walked in a comfortable silence for half the walk. Arthur had to tell Alfred to slow down so he didn't slip but as usual the American didn't listen. He almost slipped a few moments later and it was after that moment he decided to listen to Arthur's advice.

Out of no where a large piece of metal came towards them. Arthur, having spotted it just in time, pulled Alfred away from their attacker but caused them both to slip. Alfred hissed in pain but looked over at Arthur, "What the hell? Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me, just pay attention to him!" Arthur said and backed up. Alfred got to his feet and saw their attacker was a very large man wearing a long scarf. His light blond hair gently moved with the light breeze. He wore a long tan coat and heavy boots. The most striking feature about him was his eyes; a light violet colour that seemed to glow in the early evening light. It made the sinister feeling about him ten times stronger.

He smiled, but it wasn't a normal smile. Alfred felt a shiver run down his spine; it was a seemingly innocent smile... almost childlike in the way it presented itself, however Alfred knew it was anything but.

The tall man said nothing. He just studied Alfred, as though he was a predator stalking its prey. It was almost like he was analysing the best way in which to hurt him. Where to strike, where not to strike and how to go about it and it scared the American. He knew exactly what this man was here for and he knew that he would have to defeat him.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" he asked. Of course he knew that, but he was just asking out of confirmation. If this was just a random attack, Alfred would beat the crap out of them anyway, but he asked so he knew what he was dealing with.

"Da," the man replied and tilted his head to one side slightly. He paused for a moment then spoke again, with laughter in his voice, "You are strange..."

Alfred detected a Russian accent and he scowled. Were all of Arthur's ex-boyfriend's foreign? He ignored the statement about being strange and he prepared himself, "Well, if you're gunna do this then let's get it over with. It's cold and Artie here doesn't wanna be waiting around."

"My name is Arthur..." the Brit sighed in agitation.

His comment went unheard and before Alfred knew what was happening, the metal was back and he moved just in time or else it would have made contact with the side of his head. It would have caused a serious injury.

"Ivan!" Arthur shouted, "You'll kill him if you fight with that!"

Ivan looked at the metal pipe he held and then to Arthur. He smiled that smile again, "But is that not the point?" he asked, "To smash his skull in and win would give me great pleasure."

Alfred stared at Ivan. Forget Kiku, this guy was nothing but insane!

"Arthur, I really don't get what you saw in him!" Alfred said and dodged yet another attack from Ivan. Because he kept missing, the Russian's expression seemed to darken.

"Kolkolkol..."

"What the fuck?" Alfred looked at the man and managed to dodge him again. He kept swinging for him and eventually Alfred moved too late. The metal pipe came in contact with his head. He heard Arthur shout something but he didn't comprehend. Stars exploded into his vision and he staggered to one side to lean against the wall. He clutched his head and when he removed his hand his palm was red with his own blood. Before he knew what was happening, a searing pain shot through his body as the metal pipe came in contact with his stomach. Moving an arm to protect his gut, he squinted up at the grinning Russian. Ivan held his pipe above his head and moved to bring it down on him. Alfred managed to move just in time and he forced himself to stand up straight. He ignored the blood gushing from the wound on his head; he would deal with that later. Ivan came for him once again and Alfred forced himself to move. He grabbed a lid from a near by trash can and used it as a shield. Ivan slammed the pipe into him as Alfred moved the lid to protect himself but even then he felt himself stumble backwards. Alfred knew he was strong but this guy was something else.

He quickly moved the lid and had it collide with Ivan's face. He saw he'd done some damage so he moved it again. Ivan grabbed hold of the lid and tore it out of Alfred's grip. The American gaped at him then decided it would be better if he moved away. He ran down an alley way in search of something to use as a weapon. He pushed boxes and cans over in an attempt to slow the Russian down but it didn't work. Alfred found himself cornered. He looked to his left and found a large brick. If only he could reach it...

He moved and Ivan moved with him. He swiped with the pipe and it came into contact with Alfred's arm. He refused to cry out and he started to make his way over to the brick. His vision was blurry and the world was spinning. He forced himself to stay awake.

Soft snow started to fall from the dark sky above them. Ivan smiled that innocent smile and said, "You try to run but you know that you will not win, da?" he started to advance, "Hurting you is making me very happy..."

"You are so fucked up," Alfred said and leaned against the wall. He grabbed a bottle and threw it at Ivan. The Russian dodged it and continued to smile. Alfred didn't know what was more frightening; the fact that the Russian was trying to kill him or that he was smiling while doing so. As though he didn't know it was wrong.

Alfred definitely questioned Arthur's choice in boyfriends.

Ivan moved again and this time he had a new weapon. He picked up the smashed bottle by the neck and held the jagged part out. He moved forward and Alfred realised that if he stayed where he was for a moment longer, he would be seriously hurt... more so than he was now.

He moved just in time and Ivan followed him. How Alfred managed to keep dodging the attacks, he would never know, but he didn't stop. Sweat started to for on his forehead and the beads of moisture rolled down his temples. He raised a hand to his wound and realised that it had stopped bleeding. It wasn't as bad as he had thought. He was lucky.

Alfred lunged forward and grabbed the brick he was looking for and he picked it up. He held it tight in his hand and when Ivan came at him again, he swung it as hard as he could in hope he could hit the Russian. He dodged it, and grabbed Alfred's wrist. He smiled again and said, "It would be better if you just gave up now."

"Never," Alfred spat. Ivan just chucked and chanted 'kolkolkol' once again and he tightened his grip on Alfred's wrist. He tightened it so much that the American thought that his wrist might actually break. Alfred bit his lip and winced but he kept hold of the brick as best he could. He moved his other hand and punched Ivan as hard as he could in the stomach. The Russian hissed in pain and released Alfred's wrist. The wrist was weakened so he dropped the brick. He punched Ivan across the face and kicked him in the chest. He watched the large man tumble backwards and fall down. Alfred smiled a little; he might be in with a chance of wining now.

He moved forward again and threw more punches. Ivan tried to push and kick him away but Alfred delivered the final blow. He punched Ivan as hard as he could and the Russian was rendered unconscious. Alfred fell to his knees and sighed heavily. He heard Arthur hurry to him and before he knew it, arms were wrapped around his neck and a frantic accented voice spoke to him, but he had no idea what it was saying.

Alfred blinked and moved forward, resting his head on Arthur's shoulder. The Brit gently hugged him and kissed his forehead, "I'm so sorry..."

"I'm cold..." Alfred said weakly and Arthur nodded. He helped him to his feet then knelt down again to find Ivan's phone. Alfred watched him as Arthur typed a message then put the phone back.

"What're you doing?" he asked and Arthur led him away from the alley.

"We can't leave him here. I sent a message to his sister to come and collect him."

"Are they crazy like him?" Alfred asked and Arthur paused for a moment, "Just one of them. I informed the sane sister of his situation..."

"Oh... 'kay then..." Alfred mumbled. Arthur glanced at him worriedly and slipped his hand into Alfred's and called a cab to take them to the hospital.

* * *

><p>When they arrived back at Arthur's house, Alfred was taken straight to bed. He fell asleep almost immediately. Arthur felt so guilty. Alfred was lucky; the hospital had determined that no real damage had been done (they said he'd been attacked but they didn't see his face) and that he was just bruised. Alfred had come home with a headache and because of that he went straight to bed.<p>

Arthur got changed ready for bed and climbed in beside them American. He saw Alfred shift his position and rest his head against Arthur's chest. The Brit felt another wave of guilt wash over him as he noticed the head injury Alfred had was starting to bruise. That would hurt for a few days.

He wrapped an arm around Alfred's sleeping form and sighed as he looked out the window. The snow was falling from the sky, thick and heavy, and there was no doubt that Alfred would want to play in it in the morning. Thinking of Alfred's happy smile made Arthur's heart flutter.

He gently ran his fingers through Alfred's blond hair and he looked at the wall ahead of him thoughtfully. Today had been the worst attack that Alfred had endured and Arthur wondered why he still bothered. He had almost gotten himself killed for what? Just so he could date him? Arthur shook his head slightly; he wasn't worth it. He had told himself and Alfred many times that he should just leave him and find a decent, normal man to spend the rest of his life with. Alfred would always shake his head and insist that there was no one else he wanted to be with. He would be with Arthur or he would be alone for the rest of his life. Arthur looked down at the sleeping blond and his grip around him tightened slightly as a nervous feeling bubbled up inside of him. He bit his lip. The nervousness was accompanied by relief.

Just one to go.

* * *

><p>AN: Evil ex-boyfriend number six presents himself in the form of our favourite psychotic Russian, Ivan! :3 This chapter has to be the longest yet! I figured the fight between Alfred and Ivan would be... rougher than the others. Because Ivan's... well, Ivan xD Half the chapter is fluffy x3 As usual! Then the mood changed dramatically xD

So guys, one more chapter after this one... who do you think is next?


	8. Evil Ex Number Seven

Alfred smiled as he exited the car with Arthur. He reached out and took the other man's hand in his own and he led him to the restaurant- it was here that they would have their date tonight and Arthur blushed a little when he noticed the name of it.

"Isn't this a little expensive?" Arthur asked hesitantly as they walked inside.

"Nah!" Alfred waved away his concern and kissed his hand with a smile, "Only the best for you!"

Arthur blushed when his hand was kissed but he looked the interior of the restaurant. It was large with many tables and the customers dining there were mainly couples. He smiled a little and allowed the head waiter to lead them to their table. They both sat down and the menus were passed to them and when Arthur looked at the prices, he gave Alfred a look that suggested 'you were wrong, this is bloody expensive!' but the American just smiled like he did before and ordered their drinks. When the waited left, Alfred looked across the table and continued to smile that smile that Arthur loved so much.

"Why are you doing this for me?" Arthur asked. Alfred's smile faded a little and he frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"This place... you know it's expensive... and yet you still bring me here. Why?"

"Am I not allowed to treat my boyfriend?" Alfred asked and the smile returned. Arthur bit his lip.

"You know... I don't know what I did to deserve you."

Alfred smiled, "Well... I don't know what I did to deserve you but whatever it was it must have been awesome!"

Arthur smiled and looked down at the menu again. Nothing was cheap and he tried to find the meal that would cost the least but when he did, it didn't make him feel any better.

Their drinks were brought over after a moment and Alfred asked for a few more minutes to decide on what they wanted. He sipped his soda and looked at Arthur then looked down again. He looked nervous and the Brit picked up on that. He reached across the table and took hold of Alfred's hand in his own and gave it a squeeze, "Alfred... what's wrong?"

"Nothing! I'm, uh... I'm just thinking..."

"About what?" he asked and kept a comforting grip on his hand. Alfred returned the pressure and he finally looked up at him.

"Arthur... I wanna ask you something..."

"What is it?" Arthur asked, growing more and more concerned. Alfred gave his hand a squeeze.

"Artie... I brought you here tonight because I want to ask you something... you don't have to answer me now but I'd like you to think about it..." he paused and he looked into Arthur's green eyes. The concern was clear on his expression and Alfred decided to stop stalling and just say it, "Artie... do you wanna move in with me?"

Arthur's expression changed from one of concern to one of surprise. It took a moment for it to sink in. Alfred asked him to move in with him... move in as if to live together. Be together all the time; all day every day.

He liked the sound of that.

"Alfred..."

"You don't have to answer me now!" the American said quickly. He laughed a little nervously, "You can totally think about it."

"Alfred—"

"A-and if you don't want to that's totally okay!"

"_Alfred!"_

The American stopped rambling and blinked at the man in front of him. Arthur smiled and he gave his hand yet another squeeze, "Alfred, would you just shut up for a moment and let me speak?"

Alfred nodded and Arthur took that as a sign to continue, "Alfred... I would love to move in with you, but is it really okay?"

Alfred's eyes lit up at the answer and he nodded quickly, "Yeah! Sure it's okay! Matt won't mind!"

"You haven't asked him?"

"No, but he likes you! He won't mind..."

Arthur shook his head, "Alfred... I'd love to live with you... I really would, but I don't know if I could without knowing if you're brother is alright with it or not."

Alfred blinked, "But..."

"No buts... Al... would it be better if... if you moved in with me instead?"

"Huh?"

"I live alone... it would be less hassle to come and live with me instead... well, I have a cat but he won't mind—"

"Just like Matt would—"

"No Alfred... it isn't the same... so, would you prefer to move in with me?"

"I'd live anywhere with you," the American smiled and he leaned across the table for a kiss. Arthur met him half way and kissed him back with a small smile. When they pulled away, Alfred held his hand again.

"Is that a yes?" Arthur asked and Alfred nodded happily.

"This didn't go as I planned but sure Artie, I asked you to move in with me because I love you. And I wanna spend the rest of my life with you..."

"I love you too Alfred... I love you too..."

He kissed him again and the waiter came over to take their order.

* * *

><p>Light kisses trailed along the soft skin of his boyfriend. Fingers entwined and their bodies pressed up close to each other. Arthur let out a small moan as his American boyfriend sucked and nipped on his weak spot. He felt him smile against his skin and when he pulled away, the smile broadened when he was satisfied with the fairly large hickey he had placed on his neck.<p>

Arthur took a breath and when he composed himself he looked at Alfred with narrowed eyes, "You're very naughty tonight, Alfred."

The American just grinned, "Am I not allowed to ravish my boyfriend? 'Cause if you say no, sweetheart, I'm not going to listen."

"Not on the doorstep, you're not!" Arthur huffed and when Alfred moved in for another kiss, he ducked away from him and put his hand on the door handle. He shook his head, "Patience, Alfred... I don't want the whole street to see what we get up to..."

Alfred chuckled and placed the key into the lock and turned it. The locked clicked open and Alfred took the Englishman's hand again and led him inside. Once the door was shut, Alfred moved in for a kiss once again and this time Arthur let him. He met him half way and their lips connected in a passionate kiss. Arthur moved his arms around Alfred's neck and the America n in return placed his arms around his waist. The kiss was deepened and Alfred shoved his tongue into Arthur's mouth without warning. The Brit's eyes widened slightly but he did nothing to stop it. He felt Alfred smirk against his lips and when he was to insert his own tongue into the American's mouth, the lights flickered on and both men tore away from each other.

Alfred looked over at the culprit and sighed, "Geez, Mattie... don't scare us like that!"

Matthew didn't reply straight away. He remained still on the chair and looked at the two of them. His eyes lingered on Arthur for a moment then he looked at his brother. He finally spoke, "Did you have a nice date?"

"Yeah!" Alfred said happily and took hold of Arthur's hand. He gave it a squeeze and he looked at the Englishman with a smile, "It was great and guess what?"

Matthew paused, "...What?"

"Me and Artie are moving in together! I first asked him to move in here but I forgot to ask him but he said it would be better for me to go with him instead so that's what we did!" Alfred said excitedly.

"Really? Well... that's nice... congratulations..." Matthew's gaze rested on Arthur once again and he watched the couple. Alfred looked at Arthur with such love in his eyes that it made the other brother wonder why he couldn't have someone love him like Alfred loved Arthur. Arthur blushed a little when Alfred moved in for a kiss and after a moment, Matthew had to clear his throat because once again, they had forgotten they were there, "You know... it would be nice if you didn't just make out in the middle of the hall..."

"Ooops! Sorry bro. I forgot about you for a minute there!" Alfred laughed.

"You always forget about me..." Matthew muttered.

"Huh?"

"I said you always forget about me!" Matthew shouted and both Alfred and Arthur flinched. It was very unlike Matthew to shout and this came as a great shock. Arthur didn't speak but Alfred frowned.

"Dude, what's up?" he asked and took a step forward but the glare Matthew gave him made him stop in his tracks.

"You never notice me!" Matthew said as he stood up, "You never acknowledge me! Especially now that you're dating him!" he looked at Arthur, who looked down.

"Are you jealous?" Alfred asked, not really believing what he was hearing but Matthew shook his head.

"No, not jealous... disappointed..."

"Disappointed about what?"

Matthew took a few steps forward and he pointed at Arthur with a dark expression, "Disappointed that he didn't tell you that we dated."

"...Wait..." Alfred looked at Arthur and the Brit looked like he'd been punched in the gut. He now remembered... and he was shocked at himself for even forgetting.

He now remembered dating someone who looked very much like Alfred but it wasn't serious... at least he didn't think it was. The guy was quiet... very quiet- more so than himself- and very easily overlooked. He often said that many people forgot he was in the room or that he was with them and then he would often end up getting left behind. He now remembered that he had in fact dated Alfred's brother and the guilt bubbled up inside of him.

"Matthew... I... I don't know what to say..."

"Do you realise how hard the last couple of months have been?" Matthew asked, "I've sat here and watched you fall in love with my brother and you didn't even know who I was when we met..."

"Why did you not say anything?" Arthur asked. Alfred stood beside him, shell-shocked that his brother and his boyfriend had currently dated. He couldn't believe that no one had told him.

"I shouldn't have to!" Matthew raged. He clutched his hair and took a deep breath before getting himself composed but the dark look remained. It made Arthur nervous and it was then that he realised what was happening.

"No... Matthew, please tell me it's not that..."

"Sorry Arthur... I don't wanna do it but I have to... this is how it's supposed to go."

"Wait... what's happening?" Alfred asked, getting over his bewilderment. Arthur looked at his boyfriend and he looked afraid. What would this do for their relationship? Not just their own relationship, but Alfred's relationship with his brother. This cannot end well at all.

Matthew moved to the couch again and picked up something from behind it. When he turned around, Alfred noticed that he was holding his favourite hockey stick and it was then that he finally realised what was happening too.

"Matt... I can't... it was bad enough with that girl but... but you're my brother. I can't do it... I won't do it..."

"You don't have a choice, Alfred," Matthew said and began to approach the couple. Alfred instinctively moved in front of Arthur and glared at his brother. Something wasn't right; he had never seen Matthew like this before. He was usually the quiet, soft-spoken guy that would never harm anyone. He didn't understand why this was happening. Couldn't they just talk things through? Why did everything have to resort to violence?

Matthew moved closer to the couple and reached out before Alfred could stop him. He grabbed hold of Arthur's wrist and pulled him away from the protection of the American. Alfred protested and reached for him but he was too late. Matthew pushed Arthur down on the couch and pointed the hockey stick at him and glared, "Don't move..."

Arthur looked too horrified and still shocked at the behaviour of the other brother and he reached out for him, "Matthew, please... I don't want you both to fight..."

"Shut up! Just shut up and don't get involved!"

"But I am involved! This whole thing is my fault!" he moved to stand up but Matthew pushed him back down with the hockey stick.

"Don't move!" he snapped and he looked at Alfred, who didn't know what to do. He looked horrified at the treatment his boyfriend was receiving and he wondered how long Matthew had been bottling up all this anger.

"Mattie, you need to calm down..." Alfred tried but Matthew just laughed.

"Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down? My brother is dating my ex-boyfriend... an ex that doesn't even remember me!" he moved forward and took a swipe at the American with his hockey stick. Alfred managed to move in time and he looked at Matthew with a horrified expression and he moved backwards to avoid him. Matthew glared and swiped again and once again Alfred managed to duck away from the attack.

"Matt, please!" he tried and held his hands up in a surrendering gesture. Matthew refused to acknowledge what he was saying and he continued to attack. He swiped and tried to get a hit but Alfred continued to back up. He hit the wall and he realised that he was trapped. Arthur could nothing but watch on as the two brothers fought it out. He knew that compared to the other exes, Matthew wasn't doing this for the same reasons as them. He was doing this for revenge against Arthur for not recognizing him. He didn't realise who he was when they came face to face and all the times they had spoken within the last couple of months, he didn't know who he was... all he knew was that he was Alfred's brother- the brother he had never seen before in his life and today he realised how wrong he was.

Alfred looked worried; Matthew didn't look as though he were going to stop. He continued trying to attack and the American kept avoiding. He reached out when the hockey stick came down on him and he took hold of it before it could strike him. Matthew frowned and tried to remove it from his brother's grip but he knew that Alfred was just too strong.

"Let go!" he hissed and tugged at it one more time. Alfred shook his head and held on tight. He refused to let him do this. He refused to take anymore of this. He refused to fight his brother over something so stupid. Matthew tugged hard one last time and he managed to get the stick out of Alfred's grip and hit him across the head with it. Alfred yelped and clutched his head; he still wasn't recovered from Ivan's attack so his head was a sensitive area.

Matthew smirked and he raised the stick again. He held it over his head to strike once again but when he tried to move it, he found he couldn't. Turning around, he saw Arthur glaring defiantly at him whilst keeping a good grip on the stick. Matthew tried to tug it away and he knew that Arthur wasn't as strong as Alfred. He tugged and tugged and tugged but Arthur held on tight. Alfred recovered from the blow and pulled Matthew away from Arthur. He slammed him into the wall and held him there while he struggled against his brother's unnatural strengths.

"Let me go!"

"No Mattie! I can't... you'll just hurt everyone! I've had enough of this! I know I'm supposed to beat you and stuff but I can't! You're not just my brother, you're my best friend! I can't hurt you like I did those other guys... I just can't do it... I can't..."

Matthew watched him for a moment and Alfred thought he had his brother back. Then his expression darkened and he started to struggle again. The Canadian wasn't stopping until he had done what he was supposed to do. He was going to win or at least he would loose knowing he tried. Alfred glared at him hardly and continued to hold him against the wall and Arthur had managed to get the hockey stick out of his grip.

"Matthew, I don't want this either. I know it was stupid of me to not recognise you but it was years ago when we dated... please understand..."

"How did you meet anyway?" Alfred asked.

"We met when I went to Canada..."

"When you went to Toronto?" Alfred asked and Matthew nodded and continued, "We met in a cafe and we started talking... and then it just happened."

Alfred nodded, "Did you ever tell him about me?"

"No... I had no reason to. He didn't ask either," Matthew said and looked at them both. Arthur kept hold of the hockey stick and looked to the floor. He felt so guilty...

The Canadian looked at them both and while Alfred was distracted, he struggled in his grip and some how he managed to get free. He punched Alfred hard across the cheek, knocking him off balance. He grabbed the hockey stick while Arthur stared in shock and moved it to strike his brother. The Brit tried to stop him but he moved too late. Matthew hit Alfred with the hockey stick again and again until the other brother had no choice but to react. He kicked the Canadian away from him and rolled on to his side. He coughed and clutched his stomach as he stood up slowly. He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at him. Matthew gathered himself up and stood also and the two brothers glared daggers at each other.

"You're fucking crazy, Matt. What's gotten in to you?"

"You don't understand what it's like to be forgotten constantly!" Matthew shouted, "All the time... constantly! People don't even know my name! Not in this street, not at work... not even you, Arthur..." he looked at the Brit and sighed lightly, "You should have at least recognized me..."

"I've said I'm sorry Matthew..." Arthur said, "Please, let's stop this... it's getting ridiculous... Alfred has done so much for me already; I couldn't bear to have him hurt his own brother."

"I can't do that..." he punched Alfred again and on instinct (because the other hadn't been expecting it) the American punched him back. Matthew fell to the ground and hit his head, causing him to fall into unconsciousness and Alfred gasped in shock.

"Mattie! Oh God..." he knelt down beside the Canadian and shook his shoulder lightly, "Mattie... Mattie please wake up... I'm sorry..."

"Alfred..." Arthur said quietly and put a hand on his shoulder. The American continued to try and wake up his brother but he wasn't succeeding. Arthur sighed, "Alfred... he'll be okay."

"I punched my brother..."

"I know... I'm really sorry... this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't have met him that day... why am I so stupid?" Arthur stood back and turned away. Alfred picked up Matthew and carried him to the couch. He lay him down carefully then walked to his boyfriend. He wrapped his arms around his waist and brought Arthur close. The Brit rested his head on his shoulder and sighed heavily.

"Artie... it's not your fault... Mattie knows it's not your fault... it's just bad luck... he's used to being forgotten... he's used to it. He just... snapped, I guess..."

"Alfred... I'm sorry about everything. I'm sorry about putting you through this... you didn't deserve it..."

"You're probably right about that but you know what? I don't care. I'd do it all again, just for you."

"You wouldn't..."

"Yes, I would and you know why? Because I love you. I love you so much Arthur and I wouldn't do this for just anyone... I love you so, so much and I'd do anything for you..." Alfred sighed and gently rubbed his boyfriend's back. Arthur clutched on to him and he looked over at Matthew and even though he should feel guilty, he felt only relief.

"It's over... it's all over... we won, Alfred... we won and-and we can be normal..."

"Yeah... we did," Alfred moved away from him slightly. He looked into his eyes and placed his hands on his cheeks, then brought their lips together in a sweet kiss.

A kiss that celebrated their victory.

* * *

><p>Alfred packed his things the next day and when Matthew apologised for everything though the tension was still present. Arthur thought it would be a good idea for Alfred to live away from his brother; it would do them good to be apart for a while and that wasn't just him being selfish... after what had happened between them it would be nice for Matthew to have some space.<p>

The two of them drove to Arthur's house and started to unpack. Alfred carried everything into the house and he was greeted by Arthur's cat, Winston (Alfred had laughed at the name when he was told it. Arthur ignored him for two hours) rubbed up against his leg and purred. He had finally accepted that Alfred would be around for an awful long time.

"Hey buddy," Alfred knelt down and tickled behind the cat's ear. He purred loudly, against his will though, and looked at Alfred through those big green eyes, "Guess what? I'm going to be living here with you now! Isn't that awesome?"

Winston seemed to glare at him and he scurried away from the American, darting under the couch and refusing to emerge. Arthur poked his head out from the kitchen and asked, "What did you do now?"

"I aint done nothing!" Alfred protested, "I just told him I'm living here now is all!"

"Ah... he probably hates you again," Arthur concluded and went back to the kitchen. Alfred pouted for a few moments then continued to bring his boxes into the house. Arthur emerged from the kitchen after the American had brought the next box in and he gave him some soda while he sipped his tea. Arthur smiled slightly and said, "Right then... let's get unpacked."

Alfred smiled, "Yes sir!"

* * *

><p>"Hey Alfred?"<p>

"Hm?"

"We're going be okay... right?

"Of course... why wouldn't we be?"

Arthur paused and looked at the ceiling, "I just want us to live and not worry about anything..."

Alfred smiled and rolled onto his side. He moved one arm around Arthur's waist and he placed a kiss to his bare shoulder, "We're going to be fine, Artie... I'll make sure of that."

"Do you promise?"

"Pinky swear, hero's honour and all that good stuff," Alfred said and saluted. Arthur couldn't help but laugh at that. Alfred sighed contently, "Night Artie... I love you..." he continued and placed a lingering kiss on the Englishman's forehead. Arthur smiled sleepily and closed his eyes.

"I love you too..."

Arthur closed his eyes and moved a little closer and allowed Alfred to hold him tightly against his chest. He was warm and his embrace was comforting, protecting. He didn't doubt his words for one moment.

_End._

* * *

><p>AN: And that's the end!

Wow... I can't believe it's over... I've had so much fun writing this! How many of you knew that Canada would be last? I know I few people have guessed that he would be!

I can't thank you enough for the reviews, the favs and whatnot. They all mean so much and that is what drove the story forward. If I could thank each and every one of you individually then I would! Just... thanks for sticking with me!

So... that's that. Hopefully you'll stay with me for my other stories too!

~Iggy :)


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